“It’s what?”
I didn’t answer. Instead, I raised my gaze to meet his. His brow was furrowed as he tried to puzzle out what I had been unable to say, then understanding dawned and he laughed softly.
“You, my dear, are a cliché,” he teased, leaning toward me. His hand traced a length of my hair, wrapping the long curl around his finger as he spoke into my ear. “And here I thought my being such a sexy badass had no effect on you.”
The warm touch of his breath sent another shiver through me even as my cheeks flushed hotter. Maybe I was a cliché, but I didn’t care. The fact that Kade was more than capable of taking care of himself and me was a turn-on. I’d own it.
“Admit it,” he whispered. “You love it when I go all Batman.”
I giggled at his teasing, but before I could reply, his cell phone rang.
Kade heaved a sigh, then reached into his pocket for it, glancing at the display.
“Probably should take this, princess,” he said soberly. “It’s Blane.”
My stomach dropped. I quickly nodded and Kade hit the button to take the call.
“Yeah,” he said. He listened for a minute. “Are you sure?” He was silent for a few moments, listening, then glanced at me. “She’s fine. She’s here with me.”
I chewed on a fingernail, wondering what Blane had said.
“When?” Kade asked, then glanced at his watch. “No, you couldn’t get here in time.” Silence again as he listened, his brows furrowing in irritation. “Because he’s already here.”
My breath caught at that, my eyes wide.
“Trust me,” Kade said. “I know.” He listened some more, his eyes glancing at me, and when he spoke again, his voice was softer. “You know I’d die before I let anything happen to her.”
That certainly wasn’t what I wanted to hear just then.
Kade ended the call and signaled the waiter to bring the bill.
“What’s going on?” I asked after he handed his credit card to the waiter. “What did Blane find out?”
“He found out which assassin Keaston hired, then called to say Interpol had spotted him entering the US.”
The waiter returned and Kade quickly signed the bill and pocketed his card.
“He could be anywhere,” I said. “Do we need to worry?”
Kade stood and took my hand, his eyes scanning the restaurant and the darkness of the beach. “He entered the US through Honolulu,” Kade said.
Ice flooded my veins. “But how?” I asked, panic creeping into my voice. “How did he find me?”
But Kade was already hustling me toward the entrance and flagged down a cab, shielding me with his body as he helped me into the backseat. When he slid into the cab beside me, I saw his gun was in his hand. He gave the driver the hotel address rather than the marina, then flashed a hundred-dollar bill.
“This is yours if you can get us back inside of ten minutes,” he said.
The cabbie laughed, then floored it, flattening me against the back of the seat.
“We’re not going to the boat?” I asked. Getting off the island sounded like a pretty good idea to me.
Kade was looking behind us when he answered. “Nope. No escape route. Remember?”
His body was tense, the gun sitting easily in his grip.
“Get down,” he said, suddenly clutching my shoulder and pulling me down into his lap.
I obeyed, though fear clogged my throat. “Do you see something?” I asked. “What’s happening?”
“Relax,” Kade replied evenly. “Just a precaution.” He glanced down at me, a tiny smirk on his face. “I thought you like it when I go all Batman,” he teased.
“Yeah, well, all Batman’s girlfriends die,” I retorted.
“You watch too many movies.”
Moments later, the cabbie was pulling up to the hotel. Kade tossed the money at him and had me out the door faster than I would have thought possible. The path to our bungalow was through dense foliage and skirted small ponds filled with koi. Kade had his arm so tight around my waist, it seemed I could barely breathe as he half carried me.
“If he’s already here, then what are we doing?” I asked. “Shouldn’t we be leaving? Finding somewhere to hide? What if he knows we’re staying here?” The questions came pouring out in a torrent of fear and panic.
Kade suddenly stopped, hauling me close and taking my face in his hands. The cold metal of his gun pressed against my cheek.
“Listen to me,” he said, his voice low and intent. “I know you’re scared, but you have to trust me. I know this guy. I know what he’ll do. You’re going to be okay. Do you believe that?”
I gazed into his eyes, staring so fixedly into mine, and nodded. How could I explain that it wasn’t me I was worried about? If someone was trying to kill me, it only made sense that they’d try to first take out whoever was trying to protect me.
“Good,” he said. “Because I really need you to be quiet.”
I bit my lip, my gaze dropping in embarrassment as I nodded again.
Kade pressed a kiss to my forehead, then we were moving. Moments later, we were outside our bungalow.
The lights were on inside and Kade pulled me behind him as he silently turned the knob and pushed the door open.
It was quiet inside but although the silence had been peaceful before, it now seemed ominous.
A sudden movement in the bedroom startled me and Kade whipped his gun around, pointing at the maid, who let out a frightened cry.
“Turndown service,” I said quickly, relieved.
“Out,” Kade ordered, and the maid nodded, scurrying past us out the door.
I stood and watched as Kade turned off all the lights, stashing me in a corner without a direct line of sight to me from any window or door.
“You said you knew him,” I said quietly. “Is that true?”
Kade took a bowlful of tiny decorative seashells and began scattering them on the wooden floor in front of the open doors to the beach.
“I killed people for a living, princess,” he said. “It’s a small world.”
“Is he . . . good?” I couldn’t think of another term, though the adjective seemed inappropriate given the profession.
“He’s called the Krait,” Kade said, “after one of the deadliest snakes in the world. It hunts at night, and its bite is almost always fatal.”
Yeah, that wasn’t exactly comforting.
“What’s his real name?” I asked.
“No one knows,” he replied. “Well, I know it, but I doubt many other people do. His name’s John.”
John. A somewhat pedestrian name for a notorious assassin. The stress and tension was getting to me and my bladder decided it needed a timeout. I headed for the bathroom.
“Whoa, wait,” Kade said, stepping in front of me. “Where are you going?”
“I have to use the bathroom,” I said. “Too much water at dinner.” I eyed him. “Is that allowed?” I asked.
“I’ll come with you.”
My mouth dropped open. “Oh no, you won’t!” Yes, Kade was my husband, but I believed there were some things in marriage that should remain a mystery. How I looked while peeing was one of them. “I’ll be quick, I swear,” I promised.
Kade watched as I walked down the hall and into the bathroom. I shut the door behind me and breathed out a sigh. I got that he was trying to protect me, but my nerves were shot and I didn’t know how long it would be like this. Would the guy come tonight?
I flipped on the light just as a hand came down tight over my mouth, stifling my instinctive scream. I was brought back hard against a man’s chest, his arms like iron wrapped around me.
The mirror in front of me reflected the man who held me captive, not dressed as I’d expect in all black but in island garb of khaki pants and a silk aloha shirt. He had a knife to my throat and I could immediately tell by the way he held me that getting away from him wouldn’t be as easy as the move I’d made so long ago in the courthouse.